I'm about halfway through my appts for VSG surgery at Richmond Kaiser with Dr. Albert Im. He seems like a wonderful Surgeon. Im just curious if theres anyone else on here who is going through the process at the same location as me.

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So you will talk to a surgeon that day about your process or just in general ?@@kc13

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Orientations are on Thursday mornings. Psych groups/modules are from 3-5pm on Wednesdays (some people have to go and some don't), support group is 6-7:30 on Wednesday nights. Orientation includes a lot of great info but nothing specific to individual cases. After orientation they schedule you for a psych module (if you've started the program before) or a one-on-one appointment with either Dr. Z or one of the surgeons.

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My husband and I have our 4 hour orientation 10/20. How much weight do they want you to lose? I have been trying to get back on track and am losing about 1-2 lbs a week. I'm nervous that I might lose the easy weight before my class and struggle to lose the amount they are going to require.

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How much you have to lose is up to your dr. I had 10% of my total weight but that may also have been because I have a lot of weight to lose compared to many people. My dr determined what he thought would be necessary to help my surgery go smoother and lower risk.

I lost 20lbs more than required...because I continued to lose after making goal and there was time between my appt with case manager and surgery. Some people were surprised I continued to lose weight during that time frame.

I look at it this way-your goal is to get the weight off and the sooner the better. Starting now and improving habits will help you do better after surgery. I found the pre-op diet easy to follow and I rarely got hungry. When they go over it in orientation it won't sound like enough food but it is...in fact I never ate a full meal as they had listed. I dropped 55 lbs in 4 months in their diet. I think you will do fine. If you struggle at all, mention concerns in support group and everyone will offer advice and help.

I had hit a plateau just before making goal and it was suggested I try a denser Protein...bam, the weight came off.

I can't tell you what they would recommend but I would think that any weight you lose now will help make a safer surgery and easier transition later.

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I started at 253 (at orientation) and the dr wanted me to lose 10 lbs. I agree with @@aqua24, the pre-op meal plan is easy to follow and helps a lot. I've lost 19 lbs so far and my surgery isn't until 10/5.

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I'm in tears I have GI problems and asked a doctor do he thinks it is a good ideal to have gastric bypass and he said no he wouldn't even do it .Now I'm scared because I think that's what a surgeon is going to tell me .i cried my eyes out cause I want to have this surgery badly .

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@@shaylady08 Try not to stress too much. Nothing is off the table until the bariatric surgeons say so. Other Drs aren't always well informed.

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Edited September 22, 20169 yr by perspectiveiseverything

@@shaylady08 You will learn all about that tomorrow at your orientation. Why do you want the bypass over the sleeve??? The sleeve is just at great and that's the only one I have considered. I have IBS so bypass would be terrible for me.

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Thank you guys I am not set on the bypass totally I just want to hAve the procedure done .i appreciate the support you guys it means a lot .

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I'm attending the last class next Wednesday so I'll be able to schedule the Psych appointment after that. Haven't had an appointment with a surgeon yet. I'm doing this solo as my family all lives 2-6 hours away so I want to make sure my surgery is at a time when I can get off work easily.

We are in the same boat . I hope everything works out for you.I go to orientation next Thursday .

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Yup ! I'm Richmond as well with Dr. baggs

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So I had orientation today and I meet with my surgeon tomorrow .Im excited but I feel some type of way about the case manger .She was a little bit much for my taste buds .

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Finally finished the classes and made appointments with the Psychologist and Dr. Baggs today. When I called to make the appointment for the Psych visit I asked about the surgeon appointment as well. I'm glad I did, as I got the sense this was already supposed to have been scheduled and someone forgot about it.

@@shaylady08 Tell me everything! Ha. I have my orientation next month. I'm so curious how everything works!